OpusClip promises to “leverage big data to analyze your video content in relation to the latest social and marketing trends from major platforms, and generate a comprehensive understanding of your video for a data-driven decision on content repurposing.”
To spare you the buzzwords, OpusClip uses AI to pick out video clips from your podcast that are most likely to “go viral.” Audio-only podcasters can also benefit, with a static image in the video. Some of OpusClips’ features are concrete, but curation’s quality is in the eye of the beholder.
Can OpusClip deliver on its promise? Let’s find out.
Our link to OpusClip is an affiliate, meaning we’d earn a small commission should you choose to buy through it, never at any extra cost. Rest assured, though, that affiliates never stop us from giving our honest opinions about products or services – we always review fairly!
What is OpusClip?
OpusClip is AI-powered software that edits moments from your podcast episode into easy-to-share clips that you can repurpose to promote your show. Our guide to AI podcasting tools includes software like this: OpusClip stands apart from others because it uses OpenAI to assign a “Viral Score” to your podcast content.
Four aspects make up the overall score: Hook, Flow, Value, and Trend. Later, we’ll look at those qualities in greater detail. For now, all you need to know is that each element gets a letter grade to make up the overall score.
Hover your cursor over each attribute to see why the software picked this particular clip and how it earned that grade. In this case, OpusClip picked a section with words that could get some audiences hot under the collar.
How Does OpusClip Work?
To work, OpusClip needs a video version of your podcast episode. You can add your video to OpusClip’s dashboard by uploading a video file or copying/pasting a URL. OpusClip accepts YouTube, Vimeo, Zoom, Rumble, or Streamyard links.
OpusClip transcribes the video, adds any prompts you’ve typed, analyzes the text, and picks the sections with the “most compelling hooks.” Then, it uses OpenAI to edit short clips from the video, adds the transcripts again, and calculates the “virality score” for you to evaluate.
Depending on the length of your video and how many people are talking, editing and processing can take 15-30 minutes.
OpusClip’s menu of options lets you edit manually in the software, download to edit and share on your own, and/or send directly to social media.
OpusClip’s automatic editing includes animated captions and emojis. At different price tiers, you can add “B-roll footage” or stock video (from Pexels, or AI-generated in OpusClip) to enhance your points. OpusClip’s stock video library could benefit audio-only podcasters. As it stands, the B-Roll feature is in beta and uses AI to match video to your audio. The automatic video editing feature relies on AI to frame the subject on-screen. Sometimes, it even works!
OpusClip can automatically post to all your social media platforms from its dashboard.
How OpusClip Curates Podcast Content: A Test
When testing the tool, I used an episode of my podcast, The Audio Drama Writers’ Independent Toolkit (ADWIT). This episode discussed five-act structure and plotting a narrative arc over a podcast season.
When I uploaded the clip, OpusClip’s AI awarded the highest score to the least relevant section in the entire episode. Let me explain.
My favorite communication tool is “the weird example.” I explain how something works, then illustrate it with… a weird example. Case in point: using the train analogy to explain how RSS feeds work. Once you read or hear the example, you know:
what I meant, with a clearer mental picture
not to take the substance of the example too seriously
a human wrote the article. AI would never say anything weird, right?
In this case, OpusClip latched onto “the weird example,” treating it as the episode’s thesis. Again, the episode was about the five-act narrative structure, not social issues.
I’ve been digging through OpusClips’ support documents and promotional copy, and I can’t figure out how the tool selects clips or determines scores. The company’s most sensible explanation was that they compare your podcast episode to other videos that users share organically across social media platforms.
OpusClip added this list of bullet points for clarification:
“There’s a ton of really complicated AI stuff going under the hood that might make your head spin.
We’ve machine-learned all the sweetest tricks of short video editing at every turn by collaborating with top-notch video editors.
Ultimately we’re only serving up the dopest results straight to you with no fuss.”
Well, thank goodness. I certainly wouldn’t want my podcast promotion strategy to use anything less than the dopest. Or to have my head spin, for that matter.
What Kind of Results Can I Expect from OpusClip?
I tested OpusClip on several different kinds of files:
audio-only podcast episode with a solo host
co-hosted audio-only podcast episode
audio drama audio-only podcast with multiple speakers and dialects
a video podcast episode with three speakers.
Here are the positive and negative attributes that I found from testing OpusClip.
OpusClip’s Good Results
For audio-only podcasts with a static image, OpusClip is predictable and fairly quick. If you’ve used Headliner or other audiogram software, OpusClip won’t be too different.
The transcription is reasonably accurate. I’d call it trustworthy, though it never hurts to check the details.
OpusClip’s Poor Results
OpusClip uses some automated editing features to shorten silences. As a result, my audio included skips, adding jarring pops to the background sound. Automatically shortened silences can throw off a speaker’s cadence, too. Comedy podcasters, you know what the secret of comedy is, right?
The automatic framing feature extended to the B-roll. Instead of selecting video clips from Pexels that matched the aspect ratio of the video OpusClip generated, the AI would try to make a relevant part of the selected image fit in the frame. In most cases, it didn’t. The AI-generated images fit in the frame but tended to be incongruous.
As I said earlier, yes, OpusClip’s transcription is very good. Proofread it anyway. Though OpusClip had no trouble transcribing words like “Jotunheim,” (pronouncing the J as a Y sound), Jarnsaxa Rising was spelled Yarn Socks Arising.
Opus Clip uses AI to title each clip: you can’t edit the titles manually. If you want to make any changes to the title, click “Re-Title,” and then choose whether you want the title to be “interesting,” “catchy,” “serious,” or a “question.” So much for your innate understanding of your own podcast, right?
To sum it up, OpusClip selects clips from your podcast that resemble other examples of viral videos. Then, OpusClip edits and captions the clips. It’s fast, and transcription is mostly accurate.
OpusClip Pricing and Features
OpusClip’s pricing is reasonable and offers a free tier. Here’s what’s on offer:
Free ($0)
OpusClip’s free tier provides 60 processing minutes per month, up to 1080p rendered clips, and AI captions with emoji and keyword highlighter. The interface can re-frame the video automatically. This level has an OpusClip watermark on the video. No editing options are available. OpusClip will save the video clips in your account for three days, so export them as soon as possible.
Starter ($15)
At $15 per month, OpusClip’s Starter tier offers all the features from the Free tier, plus 150 processing minutes per month, AI animated captions in over twenty languages, AI clipping with Virality Score, automatic posting to YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Instagram Reels, or you can download the clip. The editing tools can remove filler words and silences, and you can remove the OpusClip watermark. Users have thirty days to edit or download any unsaved projects.
Pro ($29)
OpusClip’s Pro tier offers everything the other tiers offer, plus 300 processing minutes per month, two users in the team workspace, and two brand templates. You also get access to the AI B-roll generator, the option to export to Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, multiple aspect ratios, a social media scheduler, and the option to add custom fonts. Pro is the only tier that gives you access to customer support via Intercom chat.
Currently, the Pro tier is $14.50 a month if you pay for the year up front ($174).
You can also purchase additional credits if needed.
Clip Curation: The DIY Method
If accuracy matters more to you than speed and you enjoy editing, you can pick out clips and share them yourself, using human intelligence. OpusClip’s stated criteria can help. If you want to extract clips from your own podcast, OpusClip’s four scoring elements – Hook, Flow, Value, and Trend – provide some guidance.
This clip from Colin’s interview with Arielle Nissenblatt of Earbuds Collective shows the four criteria clearly, so let’s use that as an example.
Here’s OpusClip’s criteria, and how this video illustrates each:
Hooks
Open with a hook. In other words, a short sentence with a strong emotional and/or dramatic element. Here’s where you can make a bold statement and back it up with lived experience. In this case, Arielle says, “In July of 2021, I had a tweet go viral,” and tells why this tweet is still shared today.
Coherence
Make sure the information in the clip flows coherently. As OpusClip says, “Clear transitions between statements enhance overall coherence and lead to a more satisfying conclusion.” Arielle talks about her tweet, how nearly everyone in podcasting has had an experience similar to the content in her tweet, and how consistent posting of relatable, useful content keeps her audience responding. If you understand paragraph structure, you’ll be fine.
Value
Provide value, such as the answer to a question or solving a problem, illustrated by personal experience that means something emotionally. Along with the consistency Arielle mentions, she says, “I see myself as an anti-gatekeeper, I guess a gate opener: I just think if I know something, you should probably know it too.” The values she shares are openness and a willingness to help others succeed. Anyone can benefit from that.
Trends
Align the information in the clip with current social media trends. In this case, OpusClip said that “podcasting” and “content creation” are trending themes. Be careful with this tactic: don’t let trends overrule your content. There’s a difference between relevance and repeating popular buzzwords.
Much of this is common sense. While listening to your recordings (or, better yet, transcribe your episode and read along in the editing stage), you can keep your ears open for moments that match OpusClip’s criteria. If you know how to make a cogent proposition, you can pick clips from your podcast episode that will matter to your audience.
Can OpusClip Promote Your Podcast?
OpusClip examines and edits your podcast episode into bite-sized, palatable samples. This saves time in your overall podcast promotion strategy. Right now, nearly every Instagram reel uses OpusClip’s default font, so it may seem like “everybody’s doing it.” But, going back and listening to your audio attentively, then editing, helps you stop mistakes before publishing and spark ideas for future work.
I’m sceptical about the claim that OpusClip’s artificial intelligence can pick what parts of your content are most likely to be shared. Every podcast is different. No two audiences or podcast niches are alike. How can one company insist their software can pull clips from different podcasts, whether Gardening with the RHS or This Past Weekend with Theo Von, and get the same kind of engagement?
Are you faithful to your content and audience if you’re copying trending videos? As I write this, “Taylor Swift” is a trending topic on Google. If Arielle and Colin had started talking about Taylor Swift, it might have grabbed attention, but only because it was disingenuous. I think you catch my drift.
If you’ve ever bought a piece of clothing that says “one size fits all,” you know what that means – it’ll fit, but not very well. That works for hats but not trousers. If you’re strapped for time, with many videos to edit and post, and need a high degree of transcription accuracy, then yes, OpusClip can save you time and promote your podcast.
However, a one-size-fits-all strategy may lead to producing clips that go viral for the wrong reasons.
Would you rather have many people notice your podcast, whether they like it or not, or develop a smaller audience of fans who care about your ideas? Before you invest in the latest AI-driven fad, check out our guide to 9 Ways to Measure Your Podcast Audience Engagement. When you know more about the people in your audience, you can build community and create word-of-mouth recommendations. AI might be able to pick the dopest clips, but it can’t make friends.